B
BAK CHEW TAK STAMP (contributed
by Sian Tao Ong)
Classic Singlish hybrid of Hokkien and English. Literally translates as
"eyes have been pasted over with a stamp", meaning to be blind.
"How can you step right onto that big pile of kao sai (dog shit)? You bak
chew tak stamp, is it?"
BAKERO (BAH-KAY-ROW) (contributed
by UMC-Nazzster)
A Singapore corruption of the Japanese
swear word "baka yarou", which loosely means "stupid neanderthal".
Often erroneously thought to mean "bastard".
"Wah lau, the principal is a damn
bakero, man!"
BALIK
(bah-le’h)
Malay for “to return home”.
“5 o’clock and you balik-ing orreddy ah?”
See also: Tsao.
BALIK
KAMPONG (contributed by Terry How)
Literally, Malay for "return to the village". Used in the
sense of "fuck off" or "get lost", or most accurately,
"go back where you came from."
1. "Aiyah, why you go and listen to him? Just tell him to balik kampong,
lah!"
2. Chants of "balik kampong" can usually be heard at the National
Stadium by Singaporean fans trying to scare the visiting soccer team. But we ALL
know who's really going to "balik kampong" in the end.
BALLS TO YOU (contributed by
J.T.)
A phrase used to scold someone when offended, it is considered relatively mild.
"Oi! Balls to you, lah!! When will return my money?! "
BALU
A Hokkien term, but derived from the Malay word "baru", meaning
"recently".
"This handphone balu bueh eh and oreddy koyak." (I bought this
handphone only recently and already it's broken."
BANG
Onomatopoeic term denoting exasperation or frustration. Similar to "Pek
Chek".
"I expected to win the lottery, instead I kena fine. Damn bang, man."
See also: Bang Balls; Lum Pah Pah Lan; Pek Chek.
BANG BALLS
Essentially the Anglicized version of the Hokkien phrase "Lum
Pah Pah Lan".
"Wah lan! When I heard I kena saman that time, I damn bang balls, drop on
floor, bounce three times!"
See: Bang; Lum Pah Pah Lan.
BANGALI
See: Mungalee
BANGLA (contributed by Andrew Yong)
Racist abbreviation of "Bangladashi."
"Those two Bangla very hardworking, day in day out never stop working
one."
BARANG BARANG
(contributed by Jonathan Ng)
Colloquial Malay for "chattels", or "personal property or
belongings".
Sergeant:" OK, soldiers. We are moving off to Peng San Hill in
10
minutes time. Have you all got your barang-barang ready ?"
BASKET
(bahs-kate)
Nothing to do with woven receptacles. A term of uncertain origin, but the
general consensus is that it was once a euphemism for "bastard".
Nowadays, it is an exclamation denoting frustration.
"Basket! Five minute only, oreddy kena saman! No coupon!"
BECAUSE
THE SKY IS SO HIGH, THE BIRD SHIT IN YOUR EYE (contributed
by Edwin)
This phrase is essentially an annoyed retort to being asked "why",
and conveys the meaning that the questioner ought to mind his or her own business.
Popular
in the mid-70's, its usage began to decline in the early 80's and is rarely
heard these days.
Sally: " Eh, Jasmine, how come I never see you with Roger anymore?"
Jasmine: " We oreddy break up, lah!"
Sally: " Why?"
Jasmine: " Because the sky is so high, the bird shit in your eye!"
BEDEK/ACTION
BEDEK/BEDEK KACANG (bay-de’h)
(contributed
by Lixing)
A Malay word meaning "to aim at", it is used to describe someone
who is acting dishonestly or disingenuously, or who is full of hot air, or who pretends to be capable but is in reality a
failure. Can also be used as a verb in the sense of "to bluff" or
"mislead". Tagging on "action" or "kacang"
(peanuts) is merely for emphasis.
1. "Oi, you make sure you can really do it, ah! Don't anyhow bedek me,
okay!"
2. “I saw you pontang school today, you don’t come and bedek kacang with me,
okay?” (I saw you playing truant today, don’t you act innocent with me!)
3.
""Wah! That S-League player really want to score, sia! But open goal
still can fall down! So action bedek one, man!"
See also: Act Blur; Buat Bodoh; Wayang
BEH/BUAY (bay/bway)
A prefix meaning “not”. Either pronunciation is acceptable.
“He damn beh pai say one.” (He’s not ashamed.)
BEH TAH HAN (bay
tah hahn)
A hybrid Hokkien-Malay term meaning, "I can't stand it" or "I
can't deal with it". (Hokkien for cannot is "beh" and "tahan"
in Malay is "endure".)
1. "Why must he speak with that accent? Damn beh tahan!"
2. "Aiyah, sometimes I really beh tahan him!"
BELAKANG MARI (contributed
by James Chong)
Literally, Malay for "going by the rear". Used to describe situations where an alternative (often covert)
approach is employed when the obvious has failed.
"Wah, that guy super saht man! Cannot get in first
time, then belaking mari second time can orreddy!" ("Wow, he's cool!
He couldn't get in the first time, but by acting sneaky the second time, he
managed to do it!")
BENG
Contraction of “Ah Beng”.
“Why you dress so beng one?”
See also: Ah Beng.
BERAK (bay-rah') (contributed
by Andrew Yong)
Malay for "to shit". (The Malay word for faeces is "tahi".)
"Eh, you all wait awhile for me, hor, I need to berak."
B.G.R.
Acronym for “Boy Girl Relationship”.
BHAI/BAI (bah-yee)
Racist way of addressing a Sikh gentleman. The term “bhai” in
Punjabi is innocuous and means “brother”. But this has since taken on racist
connotations in Singapore.
BHAI SI MI SEK
“Bhai What Colour?” A racist game played by churlish Chinese people.
It involves pinching your companion whenever you spot a Sikh gentleman,
and not letting go till your companion shouts out the colour of his turban.
BIN CHOW CHOW
Hokkien phrase literally meaning, "smelly face". Used to
describe someone with a grumpy look and sour disposition.
"I do'wan to talk to him, lah. He always so bin chow chow one."
BISING (bee-seng)
Malay for "noisy".
"Alamak, every Saturday night, my upstairs neighbour throws a karaoke
party. Damn bising, sia!"
BLANCO
To apply white correction fluid over an error. "Blanco" is actually
the trademark name of a long-established whitening liquid.
"No need to get me a new form. I'll just blanco over the old names."
BLANJAH
Derived from the Malay word "belanja", meaning
"expenditure". In Singlish, it means to give someone a treat or
to pay for someone else.
"If I get promotion, I sure blanjah you all lunch."
BLARDER
Ah Beng pronunciation of “Brother”. Contrary to popular belief, does not
mean “bladder”.
“Ah Beng is my blood blarder. We
both have the same tattoos.”
BLUR
Used to describe someone as rather inept or in a world of his own. May also
be used to describe the feeling of being dazed.
1. “Such a simple thing also
cannot do. You damn blur!”
2. “Wah lao, I do maths, do until
blur, man.”
See also: Concuss.
BLUR LIKE FUCK
The rude version of “blur like sotong”.
See: Blur Like Sotong.
BLUR LIKE SOTONG
See: Sotong
BLUR TOAD
A common variant of “Sotong”. Of uncertain origin.
See: Sotong
BOBO/BOBO
KING/BOBO SHOOTER (Contributed by
imayoda and Daniel Hong)
Used to describe a soldier who
frequently misses his shooting target.
1. "Eh, it's that bobo shooter again, always
cross lane one."
2. "Recruit Beng is super bobo king one. Last time at the range, he
accidentally shot his OC."
BODOH
Malay for “stupid” or “fool”.
“Salim is such a bodoh. When he lit his cigarette, he set his eyebrows on
fire.”
BOH
When placed before any word, it turns it into the negative. The Hokkien
equivalent of "not" or "un".
Thus, "Boh Chup" is the negative of "Chup", and "Boh
Chee" means not to have any "Chee".
BOH
BAH TI
Hainanese for Mm Tzai Si
See: Mm Tzai Si
BOH BEH CHOW (contributed
by Kevin)
Hokkien term which literally translates as "no horse running". It
is used to describe something
or someone which/who is so exceptionally good that there's no competition.
"Wah lau eh, that chio bu really boh beh chow man! Si peh tok kong
ah!"
BOH CHEE (contributed
by AA)
Hokkien for "no balls".
"Eh, like dat also don'ch dare try. He damn bo chee, lah."
See also: Boh Lum Par Chee
BOH CHIAK PNG (contributed
by Henry Tan)
Literally, Hokkien for "have not eaten rice". Used to
describe someone as physically weak.
"Wah lau, like that also cannot carry! You boh chiak png, ah?"
BOH CHUP
Nonchalant; relaxed; phlegmatic. Can be used as both adjective and verb.
1. “He’s very boh chup
about his work.”
2. “Aiyah, boh chup him, lor.”
BOH ENG
Hokkien term literally meaning "not free". Used to convey how busy
you are.
"Go East Coast to swim? Boh eng lah!"
See also Mana Ooh Eng?; Chia'h Sior
Eng.
BOH HER HAE MAH HO
A Hokkien proverb which translates as "If there are no fish, prawns are
just as good." It is unclear
if this is a statement said in resigned acceptance of one's second choices, or
if it is a cheerfully pragmatic way of dealing with situations where you do not
get what you originally intended. Perhaps both.
"You couldn't get tickets to the Anita Mui concert, so you bought us seats
for the Bukit Pantat Community Centre Angklong
Orchestra Performance? I guess boh her hae mah ho."
BOH HEW/DON'T HEW
(contributed by Henry Tan)
Hokkien for "don't give a damn". It's not entirely clear what
"hew" translates to on its own, but it's invariably used in the
negative.
1. "Aiyah, this small-small thing, just boh hew, can oreddy."
2. "It's not worth fighting him over this sort of thing. Don't hew
him, better."
See also: Boh Chup
BOH LANG
AI/BOH NANG AI
Hokkien for "nobody wants", meaning "useless".
"This sort of free gift, boh lang ai, one lah."
BOH LIAO (contributed
by AA)
Hokkien for "nothing better to do". Dangerously idle.
In Mandarin, it's "wuliao".
"What for he go and do that sort of thing? Must be damn bo liao."
BOH LUI ( contributed by
Yong Kuan)
Hokkien phrase literally meaning "no money".
Commonly heard from students, NSmen, and people aspiring to Murchidis Bendzes.
'Eh, tonight cannot treat you all to karaoke. I boh lui liao!'
BOH LUM PAR CHEE (contributed
by Sian Tao Ong)
Hokkien for "no testicles/balls/guts", it is used to admonish someone
for being a coward.
"You don't dare print this Lexicon entry, you boh lum par chee."
See also: Boh Chee
BOH
PIAN
Hokkien for "Can't do anything about it" or "No choice."
"Must pay cover charge. This one is boh pian one."
BOH SAY (contributed
by AA)
Hokkien phrase meaning "doesn't have the look".
"That kind also can be occifer ah? Damn boh say, leh!"
See: Ooh Say
BOH TAH
BOH LUM PAR (contributed by
Woogie)
Literally, Hokkien for "If it's not dry, you've got no
balls." A dare given to someone to drink up something unpleasant.
"You say you can tahan spicy food? Then drink that whole bowl
of laksa, lah! Boh tah, boh lum par!"
BOH TAI JI
Hokkien for "Nothing's the matter" or "nothing's
wrong".
"Here everything boh tai ji, why you itchy backside come and listurb?"
BOH TAK CHEK
Hokkien for "no schooling".
"You ah, boh tak chek one, how can get cheng hu kang?"
BOH
TAU BOH BUAY
Hokkien term which literally translates as, "no head no tail",
meaning "incomprehensible".
"Wah lau eh, that movie was damn boh tau bo buay."
BOH TSENG HU
A Hokkien term literally meaning, “to lack governance”. Means lawlessness
or chaotic.
“Wah, boss go on leave, this whole place boh tseng hu orreddy.” (With
the boss on leave, the office is without control.)
BOH TUA BOH SUAY (contributed
by Sian Tao Ong)
Hokkien phrase literally meaning "no big, no small". Used to
admonish someone for not knowing his place. Famously used by PM Goh Chok Tong in
a National Day Rally speech.
"You talk like that to your father? Si noong kia! Damn boh tua boh suay!"
BOLEH (contributed
by AA)
Malay for "can" or "possible"
"You do my way, sure boleh one."
BORROW
For some reason, “to lend”.
“Eh, can borrow me your book?”
BOSS
Nothing to do with one's superiors, this is a deliberately sloppy
pronunciation of "balls". Used at the end of sentences for
emphasis. Interestingly, it does not add any obscene overtones to the
sentence or subject.
1. "Did you see the shirt Ah Beng was wearing? Can go blind, boss."
2. "I just read that book by the opposition politician. Fierce, boss."
BOTAK/BOTAK HEAD
(contributed by SinnerLee)
Malay for bald. "Botak head" is used to describe a bald person.
"Red, red, botak head" is a common, if inexplicable, Singapore
children's taunt.
"Which one is Mr. Tan? He's that botak head sitting over there."
BUAT
BODOH (bua’h
bodo’)
See: Act Blur
BUAY
GAM (bway
gahm)
A Hokkien term describing something as inconsistent, or being an imperfect
match.
“Why did I break up with Ah Lian? Aiyah,
she and I just buay gam lor.”
BUAY HIAO BAI (contributed by J Tai)
Literally, not to know what ugliness is. Not embarrassed easily.
"His voice cannot make it still go and sing so much, damn buay hiao bai."
BUAY KAN (contributed
by half-cocked)
Hokkien for, literally, unable to fuck. An especially crude term used
to
describe an utterly incompetent person. Applies only to extreme cases.
"Wah lau eh, this fella so buay kan, if we put him in charge, sure
cock-up
one."
BUAY KANTANG (contributed by ketchup)
Literally meaning "to sell potatoes", this phrase means that there is
more than meets the eye in a given situation. it is a hybrid of the Hokkien
phrase "buay kan tan", meaning 'not easy' and the Malay word 'kentang',
for potato.
"Don't anyhow rush. This sort of thing, ah, buay kantang one."
BUAY KIA NANG
TU LAN (contribution by Jonathan Ng)
Hokkien phrase which means to do things unabashedly, or unashamed of doing
things others might disapprove of.
"Wah lau, this sort of voice also can cut album. Damn buay kia nang tu lan!"
See also: Buay Pai Seh
BUAY KUM GUAN
Hokkien for "unwilling" or "reluctant".
"Aiyah, ask him to help you damn no use, lah. He sure damn buay kum guan,
one."
BUAY PAI SEH (contributed
by Ch'ng Tuan Wee)
Also "thick-skinned". Literally translated as "not shy". Means not
ashamed/embarassed by one's own actions, usually connotes insensitivity.
"Wa lao, you everyday let her buy you drink, buay pai seh one ah?"
See also: Pai Seh
BUAY SONG
Hokkien for “not satisfied”. Usually
used in a vaguely belligerent tone.
1. “You stare at me for what?
Buay song ah?”
2. “Ah Beng is supposed to be my
good friend, yet he treat me like this. Now I damn buay song him.”
BUAY SWEE/STEADY
(contribution by Willy Ng)
Hokkien phrase literally meaning, "not beautiful" or
"unsteady", it is used to denote a person's action as biased or unfair.
" Wah lah eh! Langgar still can pass driving test. Damm buay swee/steady man!"
BUAY TZAI
Hokkien for “not calm”. Used
to describe someone as nervous and unsteady.
“Do this sort of thing is very easy. Why you so buay tzai one?”
BUAY TZE TONG (contributed by Andrew
Yong)
Hokkien phrase referring to an inconsiderate person who lacks initiative.
Literally, "does not know how to move by oneself."
"He see the girl got so many things to carry then still dunno how to go
and help. Damn buay tze tong, leh!"
BUAYA
Malay for “crocodile”. Means “lothario” or wolf, i.e. sleazy
pick-up artist. May also be used as a verb.
1. “Johnny’s after Jane,
even though he’s supposed to be with Jenny.
What a chao buaya.”
2. “Look at Johnny buaya-ing
Jane.”
BUNG KAH TIO
LUM PAR (contributed
by Foo Woon Huan)
Literally meaning "mosquito biting the testicles", it is a term
used to describe a painful dilemma, where all options carry dire
consequences. Similar in spirit to the English "Hobson's
Choice", meaning no real choice at all. Believed to have originated
in rural China, by farmers who had to relieve themselves in mosquito-infested
fields.
"I don'ch whack him, he sure damn ya-ya one. I whack him, he sure report me
to police. Wah lan eh, this is damn bung kah tio lum par!"
BUSOK (boo-soh')
Malay for "smelly" or "rotten". Used to accuse
someone of being a cheat or playing dirty.
"I don't friend you, you play mah-jong very busok one"
See: Chao Kuan; Chao Kah